Galley counter top material

[sailmichelle]

Has anyone ever used Starboard for counter top material? Would love some feedback on this..

[chucklesR]

Too expensive and cuts/slices too easy. I'd think it would mar way to easy from chopping and hot pots.
For the money a good laminate would be better, and if weight doesn't matter I'd go with a thin stone or other top.

[fallard]

Agree with chucklesR: Starboard is too soft. Thin Corian would be better,but our 22 yr. old boat has laminate and it still looks good. You need to use cutting boards, in any case and a trivet or potholder if you need to place a hot pot, no matter what kind of plastic surface, if you want it to stay in good shape.

[SlowButSteady]

Laminate (Formica, et cetera) is probably best. Corian is pretty heavy.

[Minnewaska]

Agreed, starboard is not good countertop material. If its a do-it-yourself project, I recommend going to Home Depot or similar and see what scraps they have available from a recent home installation. Could be anything from formica, to corian to stone, or even the thin fake corian laminated to plywood. Often, they are more than big enough to do a boat galley. If you do use something that has a wooden back, I would seal it with penetrating epoxy.

[SlowButSteady]

Originally Posted by Minnewaska

Agreed, starboard is not good countertop material. If its a do-it-yourself project, I recommend going to Home Depot or similar and see what scraps they have available from a recent home installation. Could be anything from formica, to corian to stone, or even the thin fake corian laminated to plywood. Often, they are more than big enough to do a boat galley. If you do use something that has a wooden back, I would seal it with penetrating epoxy.

Ummm....

A slab of stone, 100-200 lbs (or more?) of added weight, several feet above the boat's ballast and maybe off-center.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

[Minnewaska]

Originally Posted by SlowButSteady

Ummm....

A slab of stone, 100-200 lbs (or more?) of added weight, several feet above the boat's ballast and maybe off-center.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

Granite weighs somewhere between 10 and 15 lbs per square foot. Depends on how much galley counter top you have, but I've seen it in many boats. I'm not necessarily advocating for it. Ours, at over 20 tons, wouldn't even know it was there. However, we have corian.

[sailmichelle]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.. Exactly what I needed....So between Formica and Laminate not sure I know the difference? Anything I need to ask for to get a better quality?
THANKS again everyone!!

[msmith10]

Formica is just a brand name for laminate.

[SlowButSteady]

Originally Posted by msmith10

Formica is just a brand name for laminate.

Yep. Formica does seem to be one of the best, if not the best, brands of laminate. However, as far as I can tell, the difference in quality among the best brands is pretty minimal. Go to you local Home-Depot/Lowes/whatever and take a look. They usually a basic selection in stock, and you can always order whatever color you want. I would stick to a solid color, rather than a pattern, as patterns almost always look too busy in a small space (like a boat galley).